Oregon Lottery
Encyclopedia
Government of Oregon
The government of the U.S. state of Oregon, as prescribed by the Oregon Constitution, is composed of three government branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association
Multi-State Lottery Association
The Multi-State Lottery Association is a non-profit, government-benefit association owned and operated by agreement of its 33 member lotteries MUSL was created to facilitate the operation of multi-jurisdictional lottery games, including Powerball, Mega Millions), video lottery, and instant ...
(MUSL).
History
The Oregon Lottery was enabled by an amendment to the Oregon ConstitutionOregon Constitution
The Oregon Constitution is the governing document of the U.S. state of Oregon, originally enacted in 1857. As amended the current state constitution contains eighteen sections, beginning with a bill of rights. This contains most of the rights and privileges granted in the United States Bill of...
, approved by voters in the 1984 general election. The Lottery began the next year, eventually offering two types of games: scratch-it tickets, and an online jackpot game, Megabucks. The Lottery has since added many games, occasionally removing some which were not successful.
In fiscal year 2006, the Lottery reached $1 billion for the first time.
Games offered
The following games (including those retired) have been offered by the lottery:- In 1985, Megabucks, an in-house jackpot game, was introduced. Megabucks, in 1990, was the first US lottery game to give players a choice of lump sum or annuity, should they win the top prize.
- In 1985, Scratch-it games were introduced.
- In 1987, "Breakopen" games were introduced; they were discontinued in 2009.
- In 1988, as a charter member of MUSL, Oregon helped launch Lotto*America, which became PowerballPowerballPowerball is an American lottery game sold in 44 jurisdictions as a shared jackpot game. It is coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association , a non-profit organization formed by an agreement with lotteries. Powerball is a game whose advertised jackpot starts at $20 million and can roll into...
in 1992. Four Powerball jackpots have been won in Oregon; a $38.4 million winner from EugeneEugene, OregonEugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
in 1992; a $33.8 million winner from BeavertonBeaverton, OregonBeaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...
in 1999; a family from JacksonvilleJacksonville, OregonJacksonville is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, a few miles west of Medford. It was named for Jackson Creek, which runs through the community and was the site of one of the first placer gold claims in the area. It includes Jacksonville Historic District which was designated a U.S....
won a then-record $340 million jackpot in 2005; and in March 2007 a man from Milwaukie, Oregon, won a $182.7 million jackpot. Powerball's cash option began in 1997. - In 1989, the Lottery added Sports Action, a parlay game which enabled betting on NFL games. In 1989, NBA games were added (excluding games involving the Oregon-based Portland Trail BlazersPortland Trail BlazersThe Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
); wagering on basketball was discontinued in 1990. In 2005, a bill was signed which ended football wagering at the conclusion of the 2006–2007 NFL season. (Sports wagering also is legal in DelawareDelaware LotteryThe Delaware Lottery is run by the government of Delaware. Unlike most US lotteries, Delaware offers video lottery; its other games include Mega Millions, Powerball, Cash 5, Play 3, and Play 4....
, MontanaMontana LotteryThe Montana Lottery is run by the government of Montana. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association . The Montana Lottery has a large number of games, such as scratch tickets, Powerball, Hot Lotto, Wild Card 2, and Montana Cash....
, and Nevada. - In 1991, a kenoKenoKeno is a lottery or bingo gambling game often played at modern casinos, and is also offered as a game in some state lotteries. A traditional live casino keno game uses a circular glass enclosure called a "bubble" containing 80 balls which determine the ball draw result. Each ball is imprinted...
game began. - In 1992, the Lottery began Video Lottery games that included versions of draw poker. Video Lottery games are a type of slot machineSlot machineA slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
known as a Video Lottery TerminalVideo Lottery TerminalA Video Lottery Terminal or VLT is a gaming machine that allows gamblers to bet on the outcome of a video game.A VLT is similar to a slot machine, in that each terminal is a stand-alone device containing a random-number generator...
. - In 2001, Win for Life, which awards its top prize as a lifetime weekly annuity, was introduced. (Unlike Megabucks, Mega MillionsMega MillionsMega Millions is a US multi-jurisdictional $1 lottery game. Since it replaced The Big Game in May 2002 , Mega Millions' advertised jackpots have started at $12 million, paid in 26 yearly installments , increasing when there is no jackpot winner...
, or Powerball, there is no cash option for top-prize winners.) - In 2005, "line" games were added to Video Lottery Terminals.
- In 2006, the tic-tac-toe-style game, Lucky Lines, was launched by the Lottery.
- In 2009, the first Raffle drawing was conducted.
- On March 28, 2010, Oregon added Mega Millions.
Controversy
Like other US lotteries (and gamblingGambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
in general), the Oregon Lottery has drawn its share of controversy. Topics of debate include generic topics such as the morality of legalized and/or government-sponsored gambling, the alleged disproportionate effect that gambling (legal or otherwise) has on the poor
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, and the suitability of lottery dollars (as opposed to involuntary taxation) as a revenue source. Several issues have been unique to Oregon, however.
Other controversies have swirled around the 1992 introduction of video poker
Video poker
Video poker is a casino game based on five-card draw poker. It is played on a computerized console similar in size to a slot machine.-History:...
machines, which may be installed in bars and other adults-only establishments. In 2005, the Lottery added electronic slot machine
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
s. Many have argued that these are particularly addictive forms of gambling. The electronic games have also created disputes over the revenue division between Oregon and owners of restaurants and taverns. Still another is that in 2001, Oregon introduced an online game that, to this day, requires top prize winners to receive lifetime payments, with no cash option available. This is in contrast to Megabucks, which became the first US lottery game to give winners a choice of lump sum or annuity. Neighboring Washington's Lottery
Washington's Lottery
Washington's Lottery is run by the government of Washington. Its games include Mega Millions, Powerball, Keno, Hit 5, and scratch games.-Games:Washington's Lottery offers several draw games, plus scratch ticket games...
offered a similar numbers game that became a scratch game in 2005, and offers a cash option
Present value
Present value, also known as present discounted value, is the value on a given date of a future payment or series of future payments, discounted to reflect the time value of money and other factors such as investment risk...
.
The Oregon Lottery also has received criticism from dedicated players over the fact that all of its in-house drawings are computerized (RNG
Random number generation
A random number generator ) is a computational or physical device designed to generate a sequence of numbers or symbols that lack any pattern, i.e. appear random....
), rather than using traditional ball drawings. (Powerball, drawn in Florida
Florida Lottery
The Florida Lottery is a government-run organization in Florida, USA. With numerous on-line and scratch-off games available, players have a wide variety of prize levels to choose from. Since it began, the Florida Lottery has continued to add variety to its portfolio of games...
, but played in Oregon as well, continues to conduct ball drawings.)
Sports Action
In 1989, the lottery added Sports Action, a parlayParlay (gambling)
A parlay or accumulator is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers and is dependent on all of those wagers winning together. The benefit of the parlay is that there are much higher payoffs than placing each individual bet separately since the difficulty of hitting it is much...
game allowing wagers on National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) games. The reaction from the sports world was negative. The NFL was highly displeased by this move, though legally powerless to stop the Oregon Lottery as the game took care to avoid infringing upon any NFL trademark (no NFL team names were used; NFL teams were identified by city). They even stated that Oregon would never have an NFL team as long as the betting continued. The revenues were used to provide funding to intercollegiate athletics in the state.
In 1990, NBA games were added (excluding games involving the Trail Blazers.) This prompted a lawsuit from the NBA; however, betting on basketball did not prove financially viable, and the Lottery discontinued NBA betting the following year (settling the lawsuit with the NBA thereafter). Still, wagering on football proved highly successful for Oregon, bringing in over $2 million yearly in proceeds. The NCAA, long opposed to sports betting
Sports betting
Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome.-United States of America:Aside from simple wagers such as betting a friend that one's favorite baseball team will win its division or buying a football "square" for the Super Bowl, sports betting is...
, took the position that no post-season basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
games (which are played at neutral sites) would be held in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
so long as Sports Action was available; the NBA criticized Oregon even after its wagering on NBA games was discontinued.
Many proponents of the Lottery rebuffed such criticism, noting that the Oregon Lottery, with a maximum wager of $20, was "small potatoes" compared to the Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
sports book and the various illegal sports books throughout the country. Further, it had been pointed out that the overwhelming popularity of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
is driven by office pools and other forms of gambling.
In 1997, a bill was introduced to eliminate the lottery game, but was not enacted into law. In 2005, House Bill 3466 was passed by the Oregon Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ted Kulongoski
Ted Kulongoski
Theodore R. "Ted" Kulongoski is an American politician, who served as the 36th Governor of Oregon. A Democrat, he has served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, as the state Insurance Commissioner, the Attorney General, and an Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court.-Early...
; this bill outlawed Sports Action game as of the conclusion of the 2006-2007 NFL season. As a result, the Rose Garden Arena
Rose Garden Arena
Rose Garden, commonly known as the Rose Garden Arena, is the primary indoor sports arena in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is suitable for large indoor events of all sorts, including basketball, ice hockey, rodeos, circuses, conventions, ice shows, concerts, and dramatic productions...
was awarded regional games in the 2009 NCAA men's basketball tournament.
Vista sidebar gadget
In March 2007, the Oregon Lottery published its first Lottery gadgetMicrosoft Gadgets
Microsoft Gadgets are lightweight single-purpose applications, or software widgets, that can sit on a Microsoft Windows user's computer desktop, or are hosted on a web page...
for Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
. The gadget relays the winning numbers for Powerball or Megabucks. The gadget also features winner stories as well as Lottery alerts, jackpot alerts, and the Oregon Amber Alert
AMBER Alert
An AMBER Alert or a Child Abduction Emergency is a child abduction alert bulletin in several countries throughout the world, issued upon the suspected abduction of a child, since 1996...
.